Falling from the Tree of Hatred
by Washuu Puppet
Summary: ?True,? She starts. ?But that will have to be a risk that I?ll have to take.? ?You mean a risk that we?ll have to take.? He replies. She smiles. Such a friendship only to be torn apart by the beliefs of early French Men. A gypsy, and a man of the law. How


Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
First  
  
1 The sound of a tambourine fills the streets. The gingle-gangle of the tiny symbol crashes make you have a hop to your step. The clapping crowd that encircles the band of homeless men and women make you want to go over and have peak.  
  
The following intrigue this young man to see what is going on. He makes his way through the clapping crowd and tries to see over the tall heads of grown men. What he can see enlightens him. A gypsy girl dances to a brothers playing of a tambourine. The movements of her bare feet against the stone road are done well. Her old and battered dress swirls with every step. The kerchief that covers her head slightly slips off revealing her flaming orange hair.  
  
A hat sits on the ground in front of this band of gypsies. A few gold and silver coins have been tossed into it. The young man tosses two silver coins into the old and tattered hat. The gypsy girl looks up from her footwork at the man and winks a thank you.  
  
The man smiles giddily and turns around to go about his work in town. He is a man of 19 years, none more, and none less. He works in the town law enforcement team. Though he gets a worthy pay from his job, he dislikes having all the rules he must follow. He cannot talk to certain people because of their religious background. He cannot spend certain times of the day doing certain things. He is still a boy in some ways and he wishes the government to realize that and to not give him the obligations of being a policeman. He is the youngest of his family. All his older brothers have already been married to women who seem to be poles under their fancy dresses. His mother and father push him into meeting neighboring families' daughters. He doesn't enjoy being forced into marriage.  
  
Right now he is engaged to a girl of 17 with the last name of Rolland. He didn't even meet his fiancé yet. His parents set the whole fiasco up. He cries one sad tear. What misery he has been experiencing the past few days. He doesn't care to be married to this Carrie Rolland girl. She is as skinny as a rod, just like his brothers wives. Her dirty blonde hair and wide-eyed face is unappealing to him. She's excited about the marriage. The thing that scares thing young fellow the most is that she wants a big family to take care of. Five children minimum she once said. The man is sickened by the thought.  
  
He decides to think of the subject no more and continues to walk down the cobblestone road to the station at which he works.  
  
The crowd slowly thins away from the dancing gypsy girl. She stops her dancing and bends over to pick up the old hat. Holding it in one hand she counted the sum of money with the opposite. She smiles happily at her morning collection and goes over to show her cousin who was playing the tambourine for her. He smiles also when she told him the total.  
  
She goes into her family's tent and places the money in a small glass jar next to her father's bed. Her mother sadly passed away in the past year. Her father always reminds her that she has her mother's spirit aflame inside her heart.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Second  
  
The girl is almost 19 years of age. Her birthday is in four days. Her three older sisters have already wed and left. They all have left the country of France. They said it was too old fashioned for them. She didn't understand what was so old fashioned about France. It was 1632, what do you expect the fashion of the city to be at this time and era? The three gold bracelets slide up and down the girl's left arm as she takes off her kerchief to brush her hair.  
  
She sighs a heavy sigh as she glances herself over in the small mirror she holds up. Her face has brown smudges all over it from lack of bathing. How could you bathe when you were this poor? Plus you live in a tent, how can you build any type of shower in a fabric home? Her messy orange hair looks to be on fire against the colors on her dress. Her chest is nothing but a board. She wishes she weren't as flat. Her sisters said that was why she couldn't get a husband, but she didn't believe that. She knew that her sisters only said that to tease her. They had what seemed to be mountain ranges, she only has a prairie with a few rolling hills. She sighed again and put down the mirror.  
  
"Hey Inferno, could you use the money you earned this morning and go to the market to get a loaf of bread?" said her cousin as he poked his head inside her family's tent. Almost everyone she knew called her Inferno because her hair was such a fiery orange.  
  
'Yes Nathaniel." The girl replied to the brown-haired boy. She got up and took three silver coins out of the jar.  
  
"By the way, be careful on your way. Watch out for the law!" Nathaniel reminded.  
  
"Yes Nathaniel." She replied again and set off for the market. She knew Nathaniel was just looking out for her. The law was always after gypsies. They thought they had some witch-like power and should be burned at the stake for doing anything. She heard stories before about them burning gypsies for sneezing in a market. She laughed a little at how stupid the law was and continued on her way.  
  
She hummed one of the tunes her cousin played on his tambourine while she walked. She got to the market and went to the bread stand. She paid the seller her three silver coins and got a bronze one in return as her change. She put the bread in an extra kerchief she took along and started to walk back to the tent.  
  
She must have lost interest in where she was going for she didn't notice a man coming her way who had also lost interest in the same subject. They collided and got a pretty hard knock on the head.  
  
"Ouch." They said together then looked up and their eyes meet. The young man easily remembered this girl from this morning and the girl recalled this man just as easy from her thank you wink.  
  
"Sorry, excuse me." They said together again. This time they giggled at the coincidence. They smiled at one another but shortly stopped. They both worried about relatives seeing this and they both worried about the law.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Third  
  
The girl quickly looked at the man's shirt for she saw a glint of gold. She wanted to get away so bad from what she saw. She saw a badge that legally told all citizens that this man worked for the law. Her lip quivered.  
  
The man saw her panic-stricken expression. "What's the matter?" he asked.  
  
'His voice is sweet.' She thought to herself but then answered the question. "I…I can't be here any longer."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"If I tell you, will you promise not to kill me?" she asked in a more scared tone then she hoped.  
  
The young male knew exactly what she meant. He touched his badge and thought for a second. It was his job to get rid of the gypsies, or so the main officer had told him. He wondered if he should use the weaponry he carried along with him on his patrol. He then removed his badge from his shirt and placed it in his pocket. "I mean no harm."  
  
The girl didn't understand. "Practically all the people in this town are after gypsies. You especially, so why aren't you setting my puny body on fire like any other policeman would do?"  
  
The man almost felt like laughing, but he didn't, he knew it would be rude. His co-workers would have told him that one giggle wouldn't be rude, but they weren't as polite as he was. "If it makes you feel better miss, I'm against the rule of disposing of any gypsy."  
  
"I think you're just saying that so you can catch me with my guard down." She replied.  
  
"No, that's not it at all!" said the boy reaching out his hand. The girl jerked away at the movement of his hand. "You are obviously terrified by my presence."  
  
The girl looked down at his outstretched hand. There was only one way to test his loyal word. She reached out her hand and slowly touched his. He didn't grab it and through her to the ground, ready to fire an arrow through her back. The side of his mouth twitched in a small smile.  
  
"What is your name?" the man asked.  
  
'This is going to far.' She thought. She pulled her hand away and gripped the bread she held tighter. She ran. Ran away from the place where the kind man stood. The man looked at her as she made her quick leave and wished she had stayed.  
  
She reached her tent panting. She hunched over and placed her hands on her knees for support.  
  
"What happened to you?" Nathaniel asked as he took the bread from her hand.  
  
She bit her bottom lip. Nathaniel didn't need an explanation. "The law caught you didn't they?"  
  
"It didn't necessarily happen that way. This man was different. He didn't scream in horror when I bumped into him. His voice was sweet." She replied.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Fourth  
  
"It matters none the less if his voice is sweet to your ears Inferno!" Nathaniel yelled. "He was a man of the law! He could have just been trying to get your guard down so he could easily dispose of you!"  
  
"No!" the young woman screamed back. "It's your decision weather to believe me or not. But as long as I know what really happened and what that man really meant when he said 'I mean no harm', then that's enough proof for me." She replied and walked into her tent. Her father was lying down on his small cot.  
  
"I heard the conversation you were having with your cousin." He said without opening his eyes or even moving.  
  
"Daddy, it's not what you think."  
  
"I know what to think of it. You are still young and tend to not notice things around you that can cause you great harm." Her father said.  
  
"Daddy, I know that man wouldn't hurt anyone." She pleaded.  
  
"How are you sure?"  
  
"He was one of the few people that donated money in the hat this morning. Have you ever seen a police officer through even a bronze coin in there, Daddy?"  
  
Her father sighed. "I can't win in an argument with you fair daughter. You still have your mother in you. She was ever so good at getting her statement well heard. Now, go rest. You've had a little excitement today and maybe you could sleep a while on it."  
  
"Yes sir." She said plainly and went to lye down on her tiny mattress in the corner of the tent.  
  
*********  
  
The young man stood at the spot for a minute or two, starring at the spot in the crowd where the gypsy girl ran off. He heaved a heavy breath and continued on his patrol.  
  
At around lunchtime he went back to the station for a rest. "Hey Ato, you looked bushed! Where have you been all morning?" one of his co-workers asked.  
  
"Please don't call me that ridicules name." He said referring to the name Ato.  
  
"Ah, come on! Lighten up, at least you get to go home to that beautiful wife of yours." The officer replied.  
  
"For the last time Thomas, she is not my wife and never will be!" he screamed back. "My stupid parents set the whole thing up without asking me if I even considered being married to this Carrie Rolland."  
  
"Can I have her then?" Thomas asked.  
  
"Women aren't prizes to be won Tom. They can be very complicated in the heart. In fact I just met one today in the market when…" 'Ato' replied.  
  
"You devilish little cheat!" Thomas started. "You're engaged and you are still hunting women down on the streets!" he rubbed his fist on top of the young man's head.  
  
"She was a gypsy!" he yelled without thinking about the girl's privacy.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Fifth  
  
Thomas laughed a little bit. "You're joking right? Are you actually telling me that a gypsy knocked you down in town and you didn't even give her a scratch?"  
  
"I told you nothing of the sort."  
  
"You said you met a gypsy." Tom said.  
  
"I didn't say she put my butt on the street!" the young man yelled. "She bumped into me, that's all. We both lost interest in where we were going."  
  
"So what if she didn't care about directions! She could have hurt you, why didn't you send an arrow her way?" Thomas replied pretending to put an arrow in a quiver.  
  
"She said sorry."  
  
"So! That doesn't matter; she's a gypsy! She's a witch, boy; she could be just controlling your mind telling you not to touch her. Did she do one of those chants that they do?" Tom asked.  
  
"What chants?"  
  
"When they sing—the words hypnotize people who hear it. The language is unknown." Said Tom.  
  
"She didn't say a word besides sorry." Ato lied.  
  
"You're going to be a hopeless officer, ya know that?" screamed Thomas and left the room.  
  
****************  
  
The next morning the girl woke up and left her tent to catch a breath of fresh, dawn air. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, which meant it was going to be a beautiful day. She didn't feel like doing her morning dance. They had enough money to get some food on the table for two days now—even though it was only a few loafs of bread and a ball of cheese.  
  
She walked to town with 3 silver coins in her hand. She was going to get a role of cloth so she could make herself a new dress and Nathaniel a new shirt. She learned to sew from her mother, who made all of her clothing.  
  
She did what she set out to do and returned to the tent only to put the fabric away. Right after she ran back to town, she knew it was going to be a big day in the town square. The fair was to be held.  
  
She jogged swiftly through the side streets and around the crowds of people. The young girl easily jumped over goats and dodged fruit and vegetable stands. Again lost the thought of were she was going next and soon was hit by something.  
  
She feels to the stone road with a thud. She rubbed her backside with her eyes closed in pain. "Sorry, I wasn't watching my path. Excuse me."  
  
"It's you again." Came a male voice.  
  
She opened her eyes and looked up to see the police officer she bumped into yesterday. "You?"  
  
"Hi."  
  
Her small chest heaved many breaths, trying to stay calm.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Sixth  
  
She knew she was in for it now. Two run-ins to record on the chart for this couple, and the types did not match.  
  
"Here, let me help you." The man said holding out his hand.  
  
She was confused, but she took the hand and was pulled up to her feet. She stared at him for a while then said. "Why?"  
  
"I told you yesterday, weren't you listening?"  
  
He was right.  
  
"Come on." He said pulling her hand toward the center of town.  
  
"Where are you taking me?" she asked.  
  
"The fair, come one."  
  
They walked out of the market and into the large town square. Fancy housed lined the west and east side. The market made up the south wing and to the north was the glorious cathedral. The area was filled with stands of food and drink along with small souvenirs.  
  
The girl thought it was odd that this man was taking her to the fair. He hardly knew her and he was treating her as if she were a long lost buddy. His hospitality was at a very high level for his age.  
  
"How old are you?" the man asked.  
  
"I'll be 19 in three days."  
  
"I'm already 19."  
  
She just smiled a reply. They began to walk the perimeter, doing small talk. The man didn't mention his engagement. He felt that it wasn't worth believing until it was finished.  
  
"What's that?" she asked  
  
"You've never had popcorn?" he asked surprised.  
  
"What's popcorn?"  
  
"That." He simply replied.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Here." He said handing the man at the stand one bronze coin and took a small bag of the popped corn. He opened it and threw one kernel in his mouth; then held out the bag to the girl.  
  
"What is popcorn?" she asked.  
  
"It's just a corn seed. They put it in a pot over a heated surface. The heat causes the cotyledon to explode through the seed coat. That's the white fluffy stuff. That's all it is." He explained.  
  
The girl took some and put it in her mouth. "Not bad." But then her eyes widened. "Quick, back here." She said pulling him behind a stand that sold pears.  
  
"What the heck did you do that for?" he yelled in a horse whisper.  
  
"I didn't want Nathaniel to see us. He's right over there." She said pointing over to the left. "If he sees me with you he won't like it. He hates the law more then any gypsy I've ever known. I'd be stuffed in my tent until I was thirty if I was seen."  
  
"I can kill him." The man said.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred.  
  
Seventh  
  
"No!" the girl screamed and slapped him across the face.  
  
"It was only a joke." He replied rubbing his jaw.  
  
"Ok, it's clear. We can go out now." She said and dragged him out from behind the stand.  
  
They had a fun time at the fair. They watched puppet shows and saw a lady make a wool quilt. Spinners made balls of thread and there were many items for sale.  
  
"What is your name?" the man asked after two hours had passed.  
  
She knew she couldn't tell him her real name. "You can just call me Inferno." She replied.  
  
"That's sort of odd, but I can see where they get it from." He replied pointing to her head. You couldn't see her hair though because of the kerchief.  
  
"What may I call you?" she asked.  
  
The man felt the same way. He hated to reply but he did. "Just Ato would be fine."  
  
"Ok, Ato it is." The girl said with a smile.  
  
They both laughed a little until Inferno's shoulder was yanked away. "Why the heck are you here with this man?" came a shout.  
  
She turned around to see the steaming mad Nathaniel. "Sneaking away to the market and seeing another man, just like you did with that lawman."  
  
"This is that man." She said sadly.  
  
"WHAT!?" Nathaniel yelled. "When your father hears about this…"  
  
"Please, don't tell Daddy, Nathaniel."  
  
The teenage boy cuts into the conversation. "Please understand, sir, that I mean no harm to you sister."  
  
"I'm his cousin." She says.  
  
"Oh, sorry. I mean your cousin. I just wanted to take you around the fairgrounds, that's all." The man replied.  
  
"I don't believe that! Any man of the law is out to slay a gypsy! It seems to be one of there hobbies, I've observed." The young woman's cousin steamed.  
  
"No, no, no sir. I'm totally against that law completely!"  
  
"HA!"  
  
"Please…" the man protested and was shortly stopped by a shout that was in his direction.  
  
"Darling!" came a girl's squeal.  
  
The young fellow turned around, "Carrie?"  
  
"How's it going, hon.?" Carrie said as she approached. "I went over to your house to find you but your mother said you were going to the fair. So I went, and here you are! Isn't that quaint? We need to discuss wedding plans, my dear. We are to be wed within the month." She giggled.  
  
"You're engaged?" the gypsy girl whispered to Ato.  
  
"Yeah." He said dully, rolling his eyes.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Eighth  
  
"Come on Inferno." Said Nathaniel and he picked the girl up by the waist and practically swung her over his shoulder. She kicked but it was no use.  
  
"Bye." she said with a small wave.  
  
"Bye." replied the man with the same motion of his small hand.  
  
"Come along, darling." Carrie cooed and pulled Ato along by the ear. "We need to get things ready so we aren't all running around like headless chickens the day of our wedding. I want everything to be perfect."  
  
The man struggled and finally got away from his fiancé's grasp. "Get over it Carrie, I'm not going to marry you!"  
  
"Yes you are."  
  
"No I'm not! I don't even know you! Personality wise." He quickly added.  
  
She didn't answer but he continued. "I don't even love you, miss Rolland. If I had enough time, yes, I might end up doing so. But we are not getting married within the month if I can help it!"  
  
"Then who's going to be the father of my five children?" Carrie said plainly.  
  
The man didn't want to continue arguing. He just gave in and winced in disgust at the thought that he was probably going to actually be the father of Carrie's five children.  
  
********  
  
Back at the gypsy camp, Nathaniel throws his cousin into her tent. "Why were you with him, again? You could have gotten killed! He was probably seconds away from calling back-up recruits so he could terminate your puny body!"  
  
"I'm not puny!"  
  
Nate tuts and continues his speech. "You had to go by 'how sweet his voice was', didn't you? Oh, it doesn't matter if he puts his badge away, does it? Don't believe what he says to you, Inferno! If I catch you with this lawman one more time, I am going to personally tell your father to chain you to your cot! Is that clear!?" he screamed.  
  
The girl didn't reply. She began to cry soft tears. Nathaniel had never really yelled at her that harshly before.  
  
"Ah, quit your blubbering. Get that kerchief of yours straightened. We need to get some money. I'll get my guitar, and you practice your steps. I'll meet you by the corner in fifteen minutes." Her cousin said and left the tent.  
  
She did as she was told and was shortly on the corner doing her delightful dance for a crowd of France citizens. She didn't have the same hop in her step as usual. Her heart was broken inside and didn't feel like dancing, much. Even though she hardly knew this Ato guy, she missed his company. No matter what her father or any other relative was going to do to her, she was going to see him yet again tomorrow. She was certain of it.  
  
She stopped dancing soon and collected the money that was thrown and put it in the same glass jar next to her father's bed. Again she looked herself over in the mirror, combed her hair and went to bed.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Ninth  
  
Morning came and the young woman awoke. She straightened her dress and combed her hair, yet again. She tried as hard as she could to rub the brown, dirt smudges on her face off; but it was no use. She sighed heavily and started to walk to town.  
  
She looked at the naked town square. It looked so different with out all the fair stands. She took a in the smells of the market; cows and goats, fresh fruits and vegetables, sugar and cheese. She smiled at her favorite sent, flour. She loved the smell of flour for some reason.  
  
*******  
  
The man twirled an arrow between his fingers, starring at the ground. He hated his morning post. After an uncomfortable night of sleep, he was cranky. So every single 'Good Morning!' he got from a citizen bugged him. He just waved back.  
  
Suddenly, he jerked up his head at the sight of a flash of orange. The gypsy girl was standing at the flour stand talking to the owner. He smiled and walked over to her.  
  
She turned around with a medium size sack in her hand. She jumped at the sight of him, but then smiled back. "Nice to see you again."  
  
"Nice to see you too." He replied.  
  
"Can I possibly meet you back here in about ten minutes?" She asks. "I need to get this flour back to the camp."  
  
"I'll walk with you." He said and they walked to the South end of town.  
  
When they reached the outskirts of the gypsy camp they stopped. "I think you better stay here when I drop it off." The girl said. "They…"  
  
"No need for a explanation. I understand completely." Ato replied and waved her off.  
  
She returned shortly and they were back in town within thirty minutes. They talked and giggled. Inferno got him to talk about his engagement to Carrie more. She could tell that he was miserable about it.  
  
He then got her to talk about her family and marriage stuff. "No, I'm not engaged or married." She replied. "But I have three sisters that are married and out of the country. They say that I will never get a husband because of my body. They say because that I'm as flat as a board and I'm so puny that no man would love me. They only say that because they have what seems to be mountain ranges." The young man snorts in laughter at that remark. "But I don't care about what I look like, I think it's what you feel in your heart that counts. Not if you're scrawny and not well fed or if you're rich and a tub of lard."  
  
"I agree." The man said.  
  
"You really do?"  
  
"Of course! I don't want to marry Carrie because of her personality, not because I think she's ugly or something like that."  
  
"It's nice to talk to someone who understands me." Inferno says.  
  
The man smiles as a reply.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Tenth  
  
The couple comes to a large crowd gathered around a corner. A small orchestra plays an Irish jig. The band consists of three fiddles, a tambourine and an Irish flute.  
  
The girl laughs giddily. "Come on!" she says and pulls him by the hand threw the crowd.  
  
"Where are we going?" he asks.  
  
"Dance." She simply replied.  
  
"I can't dance! Especially like you do!"  
  
"Oh come on! It's easy, I'll teach you." She tells him happily as they finally come to the small opening that was between the crowd and the band.  
  
She took his hands and started to move her feet along to the Irish jig.  
  
"Aren't you kind of skittish about the audience?" the man asks.  
  
"No, I'm used to it."  
  
"Well, I'm not." He only said this only because of how clumsy he was moving along with the music.  
  
She let go of his hands and continued to skip to the beat. She was getting more and more complicated with her steps as the music progressed. The man looked at her in awe as he watched. Her flaming hair bounced with every tap of the tambourine. Her feet seemed to dance on the strings of the violins. Every time they plucked her feet hopped gracefully. Her exultant smile was attractive, pleasant, and superb. While she danced she sang this odd chant over and over: "Uma leya twoa, Uma leya palla teeya. Uma leya twoa, Uma leya patta ko la."  
  
A slow measure of music came and she twirled with polish. She laid her hand out as to say: 'it's your turn.'  
  
The man spun maladroitly on the tip of his shoes as he put his arms above his head like a beginner ballerina. Afterward he kind of fell into his standing position.  
  
Inferno laughed and took his hands from behind. "You're silly." She says and continues to dance when the composition became the same up-beat tempo. It was awkward to be dancing with a woman holding your hands behind your back. He tried to dance along the way she did, but it was no use.  
  
The song ended and she took a graceful bow. The crowd mildly applauded then left. She turns around to the man and smiles again. "Wasn't that pleasurable?" she says with a fast breath.  
  
"I wouldn't exactly call it that." He said with a laugh. "How do you do that for a living?"  
  
"It took me awhile to learn, but afterward I felt like it was my passion. Whenever I dance, I feel like my heart is flying." The gypsy replies.  
  
"So, you don't even think about what you are going to do, like what steps? You just do it." The man asks when they started to walk again.  
  
"Yeah, I guess." She answers.  
  
"That's really…. uh…unique!" Ato said.  
  
The girl smiles for what seems to be the millionth time today after their meeting.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Eleventh  
  
"It is still kind of odd that you just dance with out thinking, Inferno." Says the man. "It might have just been a coincidence that you knew that song and were able to dance to it. If you say you have dance in your blood, prove it."  
  
"Fine." She said and goes over to yet another small orchestra on the street. She looked at the crowd, then at the band and winked. The band struck up at once and started to play. She danced.  
  
The only thing that moved was her legs and feet. Her upper body was stationary. After a few measures, she moved more freely around the small portion of street. She all of a sudden shouted "Ga!" Then sung on. "Ooma gotta mie yama! Ooma gotta mie yama! Sa lama, Sa lama. Ooma gotta mie yama; Ooma gotta mie yama, Sa lama Sa lama. Amala goo, si doma azama. Amala goo, si amada. Sa lama, Sa lama, Sa lama la Koo, bada ma gamma." She repeated this many times. The crowd started to clap along with the beat. The crash of a tambourine quieted them down. The sun went behind a cloud, which casts a gray glow to her face, making her look very spooky. "Amaye mana, Kama twosa lasa ma. Eyama lama, Kama twosa ma." She sang in a low tone.  
  
She stopped her chant and took out a silk scarf out of the bosom of her casamina. Inferno twirled around with it, waving it around and around. She then wrapped around a male spectator's neck. He looked at it in a daze as he fingered the texture of the fabric.  
  
All of a sudden she threw down her hand and a cloud of sparkly, gold and yellow smoke appeared before her. When the dust cleared, she was nowhere to be found. She caught everyone's attention when she jumped off of a fruit stand's roof and landed on the cobblestone road on the balls of her feet—not needing to get her balance. She just kept on dancing until the song was done and she bowed. She smiled, but the man that had been given the scarf had an angry expression on his face as coins were tossed to her from the spectators.  
  
"Don't waste your money!" he shouts. "She hypnotized you folks into giving up your money with that chant of hers. It's gypsy magic! Witch! Witch! Seductress of evil!"  
  
Inferno looked at the man very surprised. The rest of the citizens looked at her in the same angry tone. The only person that wasn't was Ato. She threw down her hand again and green smoke appeared before her.  
  
As Ato coughed from the dust, an arm grabbed him and pulled him from the crowd and into a side street alley. The first thing he heard was a woman laughing.  
  
"Wasn't that fun!" she said.  
  
He looked up at Inferno, "Are you crazy? You couldn't have gotten in big trouble back there?"  
  
"So, I live in danger, and laugh in its face." She replied.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twelfth  
  
Inferno continued to laugh for a bit, then settled down. "You know, I better get going." She looks at the sun. "It's going on seven o'clock."  
  
"Yeah, me too." Ato replied.  
  
"Will you be here tomorrow?" She asked.  
  
"Yes, I will be. I'll meet you at the cathedral steps."  
  
"Ok, I'll see you there." She said happily and left for the camp.  
  
*************  
  
"Where exactly have you been all morning?" asked Nathaniel as Inferno came into the gypsy camp.  
  
"I've been at the market, that's all."  
  
"For ten hours?" he asked confused and suspicious.  
  
"It was that long? Go figure! ^_^." His cousin laughed.  
  
"Yes, it was that long. How could you spend that amount of time at the market when you have nothing to do but walk around?" said Nathaniel.  
  
"That is what I did, walked around. Do you have a problem with that?" she asked. He didn't answer but went into his family's tent.  
  
The girl went into hers and lied down on her cot like always after she combed her snarly hair. She smiled to herself. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.  
  
**************  
  
The door swung open with a loud creek as Ato came home. He took off his hat and sat down at the table.  
  
"Carrie told me that she saw you with another girl yesterday." Came his mother's voice. "You told her that you didn't love her, honey?"  
  
"Uh, I said that because I don't, Mother!" he shouted. "And that girl I was with, she's just a friend."  
  
"Why don't you love her? She's perfect!" his mother argued.  
  
"She's not perfect in my eyes. She doesn't have a life! She just sits there waiting for everyone else to do it for her. I don't even know her, personality wise. I don't want to marry a stranger, Mother, and someone that I don't love." He replied.  
  
"Love doesn't matter, as long as you can live together without fighting." His mother said stupidly.  
  
"Love DOES matter. If I'm going to live with someone for as long as I live, then I want to know that person well. I don't want to live with a alien." Ato says and walks out of the room.  
  
He plops down on his bed with his arms spread outward. "No one here understands how I feel about Carrie." He says to himself. "No one understands that I don't want to go through with the marriage. The only person that does understand is Inferno." He sighs and somehow drifts off to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be a wonderful day.  
  
  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Thirteenth  
  
The sun rose the next morning with an exquisite orange glow. The young man tiptoes out of his bedroom, trying not to wake his mother. He gets dressed then heads off towards the market. He then realized that he and the gypsy hadn't agreed on a specific time that they were going to meet. He didn't really care. He'd wait all day if it took that long.  
  
He finally arrives and sits down on the cathedral steps—waiting for his good friend.  
  
*****************************  
  
Back at the camp, Inferno rises with a hint of triumph in her heart. She hums to herself as she puts on her maroon colored dress over her snow- white casamina. Her kerchief covers her stunning hair. She looks in the mirror and giggled at herself, then walked out of the tent towards the town square.  
  
She smiles broadly when she sees Ato sitting on the stone steps. She runs up and sits next to him.  
  
"Hi." He replies happily.  
  
"Hello." She simply says. "So, I hate to bring it up again, but did you get through to Carrie?"  
  
The boy sighs heavily. "No, not really."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear about that."  
  
"Na, you shouldn't be. It's my fault for not mentioning anything sooner to my parents. My mother thinks that love doesn't matter in a relationship. She told me last night: 'Love doesn't matter, honey. As long as you can live together without fighting, you'll be ok.'" He finished in a high-pitched voice.  
  
She laughs, but quickly corrects herself. "Sorry."  
  
"It's ok, lets just forget it."  
  
"Sure ^_^." She says.  
  
He perks up his head suddenly, and then takes her hand. "Come on."  
  
"Where are we going?" she asks.  
  
"You'll see." He replied teasingly.  
  
They arrive at a hole-in-the-wall building to the west of the cathedral. He pulls her inside and she is sort of confused at what she saw. A diminutive orchestra plays, just like in the streets, but the music is…fancy? Girls dressed in lace and men in fine suits.  
  
"Why are we here?" Inferno asks.  
  
"Come on." He repeats, and pulls her into the crowd of dancers.  
  
"Ato, I don't think…" she began.  
  
"Oh, come on, it's easy!" he teased. He first spun her under his arm and then put one hand around her waist while the other held her opposite hand. "Here, put your hand on my shoulder." He said. She did as she was told.  
  
"1,2,3. 1,2,3. 1,2,3." He said over and over.  
  
"Why are you counting to three?" she asks.  
  
"Because it's a waltz, a dance with three beats per measure. It helps you keep in step if you count." He replied.  
  
"Oh…that's very accommodating." She said looking down at her feet, trying to match the movements of her dance partner.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Fourteenth  
  
"See, you're getting the hang of it." Ato complemented her.  
  
She smiled as he twirled her under his arm, and then pulled her close. He took her by the waist and lifted her up in the air as he spun in place, and then set her back on the floor.  
  
Right then, Ato felt like he saw a part of her that he once glanced over. How deep in color her eyes were, how her matted hair flapped in the slightest breeze. He never really noticed how much beauty she held. The only words that swept through his mind were those of: Beauty, Radiance, Magnificence, and Splendor. How lovely she looked at that moment.  
  
He snapped out of it. "Isn't this easier then your dances?"  
  
"Well…it always helps to have a cohort." She replies.  
  
He grins and the music slows down, and so do the lights. A spotlight shines on the center of the dance floor illuminating a couple. The girl wears a lovely sea foam green dress and has midnight-black hair that is full of curls. The blonde man wears a royal blue suit coat and brown pants.  
  
They dance solo very elegantly. They must have had a lot of organizing if they did the waltz that gracefully. The man spun her and twirled her—her hair fluffed out as he did so. They were obviously not afraid of an audience.  
  
The slow portion of the sonnet congested and the rest of the crowd danced on. Inferno was getting better at the waltz with every step. He sort of flicked her out but held on to her hand, and then pulled her close once more.  
  
As she was being pulled in, she gazed at his happy face and saw a side of him that she must have glanced over. He was like no other man she had ever met. His hazelnut eyes sparkled even in this dimly lighted room. His handsome face was kiddish, yet he was all grown up. His laugh was very pleasant and giddy. She pictured her sisters' husbands in her head and then compared Ato to them all. He was on the top of the chart for looks and kindness. He was perfect to her.  
  
She snapped out of it. "How long does a waltz last?"  
  
"Depends on how many measures of music it has, of course." He said with a smirk.  
  
The lights dimmed again but this time the spot light fell on this couple. She flushed furiously but he remained calm. "Why are you so flustered? I thought you said that you were used to people watching you while you perform."  
  
"I am, but not when I'm not dancing to my native music." She replies.  
  
He only makes it worse for her by again taking her by the waist and lifting her up in a spin. "Ato!" she yelled in anger, but as she descended toward the ground again she started to laugh.  
  
They continue to dance until the music finally stops. They now had both exchanged their cultures of dance—making them even closer at heart.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Fifteenth  
  
The couple comes out of the small building laughing. "See, I told you that would be fun." Ato remarked.  
  
"Yes," she replied. "It was."  
  
They walk through town chatting and sharing childhood stories. They didn't notice the many citizens starring at them oddly. The angry mothers covered their children's eyes, as if they were looking at something disgusting and stark. Or how the farmers snorted in repugnance and seemed to spit on their feet.  
  
Then came a shout from a crowd of men. "There she is! The seductress of evil is at work again! Get her men!"  
  
Inferno looked aghast at the man who yelled at her. Ato looked over at an east alley and saw his own police service racing down it towards her. "RUN!" he screams in her ear and takes her by the arm and leads her through all the congregated people.  
  
She didn't need any assistance to know that she had to make a quick exit. "It's best if you leave me here." She tells the man that runs at her side. "If they catch you, I know it would be my fault."  
  
"They wouldn't do anything to me! I'm a fellow co-worker! I don't want you to get hurt." he replies.  
  
"I can make an escape, don't worry about me, Ato! I'll be fine! Trust me, please!" she yells back at him.  
  
"I'm not going to leave you! I'm not going to back away—I feel that I need to protect you." Ato says.  
  
She feels flattered; a man, wanting to protect her from harm? Especially since she is a gypsy and he is a lawman. Did she hear correctly? She smiles to herself even though she is in deep danger. "Come on, then!" she says and takes his hand and runs as fast as she can.  
  
They pass through the center of town and move into the suburbs. They kicked up dust from the road as they dodged cows and goats and pigs. Mothers that were doing laundry out in their yards starred at them in curiosity as they sped by.  
  
The houses thin again as they race out of the peripheries. "Where the heck are we going, Inferno?" he yells to his comrade.  
  
"Away from the law, that's where."  
  
"But we've lost them a long ways back!"  
  
"How are you so sure? They could be right behind us and we just don't know it." She answers. "Plus, I know a virtuous place to hide."  
  
All he can do right now is trust her, and hope that this good place to hide is going to be successful.  
  
As they sprint on, no houses are seen, not even cattle. A straight plain stretches before them—the long grass whipping their legs.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Sixteenth  
  
They run flat out over many hills and flat portions of the plain as night falls. Inferno finally stops on a minuscule hill and places her hands on her knees for support as she breathes heavy breaths. Ato stops next to her, panting just as hard. He looks over at the direction in which they came. No houses could be seen, just the grasses that they raced through.  
  
They rested for a while then the girl spoke up. "I just love it out here."  
  
"This is the hiding place?" he asked surprised.  
  
"Yes it is," she replies. "Don't you just love it out here?"  
  
"What exactly is so great about it?" he asks.  
  
She doesn't say a word, but just pushes him down so he lies on his back on the side of the hill. He didn't really know what to expect next. Inferno shortly falls back on the prairie grass next to him. "Isn't it lovely?" she repeats.  
  
"What is?" Ato asks, starting to get frustrated.  
  
She points up to the sky. He looks up with her and his mouth goes slightly ajar in awe. The stars; they were beautiful. They shown such a bright white and twinkled in the night. "Wow." He simply says.  
  
She giggles. Her finger moves around in incomplete circles above her chest.  
  
"What are you doing?" he asks.  
  
"Finding stuff."  
  
"What kind of stuff?"  
  
"Look." She says and she points to one of the figures that she was circling. "There is a bunny."  
  
"I don't see it." He said.  
  
"How about you try to find one." The gypsy suggested.  
  
"I don't see anything!" he some-what yells as he glances the starry night sky over and over.  
  
"Try harder."  
  
He squints, "Wait! If you take those two bright ones and connect them in a curved line, then take those other two above it; then you have something." He says triumphantly.  
  
She laughs mockingly. "That's just a smiley face." (  
  
"So."  
  
"Something more complicated is more spectacular to the eye, Ato. Look over there! I see a guitar, one just like Nathaniel's. And there's a flute, an Irish one just like they use in the bands." Inferno points out.  
  
"Are you Irish or something?"  
  
"No, I'm not. I'm pure French—but I absolutely love Celtic music." She answers. "I can almost hear those instruments playing. Celtic music is just so unique. Tunes that are supposed to be happy, sound either sad or about someone who is just trying to get a way from something. The sad songs sound so mournful, it makes you cry. They also have such a mysterious tone. Celtic tunes that are happy just make you so joyous at heart, it makes you want to sing at the top of your lungs." She explains.  
  
He just looks at her in amazement.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Seventeenth  
  
Inferno smiles at the night sky as she continues to find objects in the stars. Ato still stares.  
  
His head is filled with questions and concerns. It's like a personal debate between the left and right side of his brain. The left is saying: "You know her perfectly! Go for it…you've seen her for about a week now, you enjoy being near her. Go for it…you know how tempting those ruby lips of hers are. Make them meet your own. Go for it boy!" Then his right counters: "She's a gypsy, man, get these evil thoughts out of your head. Respect your mother, she'd want you to forget every other girl and marry Carrie. You hardly know her; her personality is still hidden from your view! Forget it…" Even thought he was leaning more towards the left side, he shook his head so that both would just shut up and let him decide on his own.  
  
In the distance came a voice: "Where is that demon?"  
  
"We saw her run this way." Came a response.  
  
Inferno gasped and sat up abruptly and turned to where the voices were coming from. The police officers were shifting through the grass with their bow, an arrow ready at hand.  
  
"There she is!" one shouts as he spots her. Inferno doesn't waste time; she just gets up and starts to run again. Ato sat up afterwards and looked over at the same spot. "And there is her little gypsy friend!"  
  
"Wait," said another officer as Ato started to run after her, "That's Ato!" it was Thomas. "Go get her boy!" he yelled his way. He thought that his partner was on the trail of this gypsy girl all along.  
  
Surprisingly, Ato caught up with his friend, the law chasing them down far behind. Inferno looked behind her to see him at her heals. "Why are you following me?"  
  
"Why are you asking that?"  
  
"I told you last time we were on the run, if they catch me, they catch you! Then I would be my fault. Just go now, it's for the best." Inferno screamed. She didn't want him to leave her, but as she said, it was for the best.  
  
"No, I won't leave you!" Ato yelled back.  
  
Inferno smiled to herself. Again she felt flattered, but she had to do something quick, because she can't hide from the law forever. What was she to do when you have nowhere to go? The whole town is against her and if she goes back, someone is bound to turn her in. She is going to be the good morning show tomorrow; burning at the stake is on her way. She knew it. "Wait! I have an idea!" she said backwards to Ato. "Meet me at the town square if we get separated!"  
  
"Why are we going back to town? They'll get you for sure if you go there!" he replied.  
  
"That's why I have an idea, Ato. Just trust me on this one." She said and turned a sharp right, heading for town.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Eighteenth  
  
'She's crazy!' Ato thought as he raced after her. Inferno herself was thinking the same thing:  
  
"I'm crazy! Why am I doing this?" her brain puzzled. "If I'd have listened to Nathaniel, none of this would have happened! I shouldn't have gone back to see Ato, I shouldn't have. I let this, this stupid infatuation get the best of me. But this is the best love I've had in my whole life! I'd cry if I weren't in such a dangerous situation. I just hope this plan works." She looks back at Ato, to see if he was still trailing her. He was running only a few feet behind. The lawmen where just black sticks behind them, they had a good chance of escaping.  
  
She runs back into the suburbs and into the cobble-stoned streets of the small French town. She runs down the side streets but is soon stopped when she sees a mob of people with flaming torches. "There she is!" they shout.  
  
'For the love a…' she thinks as she dodges the crowd and heads down yet another street. Another mob stands from building to building on this lane, also. She runs into the town square, hoping to see Ato there.  
  
He is nowhere to be found. It was too late to look the small area over once again for the French citizens shortly surrounded her; she was a little mouse in the middle of a cat-friendly circle. She scanned the perimeter incase there was a gap from which she could make her exit. None where seen and it didn't look like any would be formed soon.  
  
"Inferno!" came a shout from deep inside the multitude. "Inferno!" it came again. She jumped up and down and stood on her tiptoes to see where the cry was coming from. She soon saw a hand up in the air waving wildly and saw a patch of dark hair. It was Ato who was calling her name. She smiled briefly before being asked a very important question from one of the mob members.  
  
"Have any last words, you little imp? Or rather you just accept the fire peacefully?" it was an old woman who asked this.  
  
"I'm glad you asked that, hag," Returned the girl. "For I have many."  
  
"You should be burned just for calling me that, witch! You are adding more incidences to your list, which give us a good reason for slaying you." The old woman says.  
  
"Well, this 'seductress of evil', as you tend to call me; has just one thing to say before I make my departure." Inferno replied to the crowd.  
  
"Number one, you're not leaving. Number two, what is it?!" said an angry man.  
  
She doesn't answer to that, just stares at him exasperated. "Bodda, Bodda, Boddeya. Bodda Bodda Bodda Bodda Bodda Bodda Boddeya. Bodda Boddeya." She slowly chants. "Duma, cama suma la ma. Kama Duma, cama suma la ma. Kama du—ma!" She breaks for a second them repeats: "Bodda Boddeya." Then throws down her fist and a puff of purple smoke encloses around her. Again the smoke clears and she is nowhere to be seen.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Nineteenth  
  
The crowd gazed upon the spot where the gypsy stood only moments ago in a confused daze. There was no sign of any soul or being left behind. The wind from the smoke had blown out the torches. Ato was beginning to start that it was magic that gypsies used. His brain continued the debate, this time the right side began: "Now you are thinking straight! That was magic, how else could she get away? How did those torches get extinguished, huh? There was no wind tonight and when she chanted, a breeze came. She's a bratty little girl, and you know it!" The left side soon took over: "That wasn't magic you fool! Coincidence is more I like it! The important thing is that she got away and you can still make her yours! Go look for her, then go for it!" Again he was leaning towards the left side, but they quieted down and he decided to do things his own way.  
  
He left the crowd and scanned the environs for his girl. He saw a little maroon dot racing a few blocks down. He ran after her and grabbed her shoulder once he caught up. "How did you do that?" he asked.  
  
"Can I please explain later, Ato? Right now I need to get to the cathedral." She answered.  
  
"Why the cathedral?" he replied confused.  
  
"So I can make sanctuary." Inferno says.  
  
"But how will the lawmen know that if they aren't there to witness it? I'll be the only one that knows besides yourself, and if I tell them, I highly doubt that they'll believe me." Ato points out.  
  
"True," She starts. "But that will have to be a risk that I'll have to take."  
  
"You mean a risk that we'll have to take." He replies.  
  
She smiles and motions him to follow her as she starts to run yet again. They run around the side streets and soon come upon an alley next to the cathedral. They would have to sprint to the front doors if Inferno could make her call for sanctuary. As they look around the corner, they see the gathering still starring at the spot from which she had vanished. They laughed silently and made a run for it. What they didn't know was that the police service had spotted them make their move.  
  
Inferno raced up the steps with her man at her heals. She banged the doors open and yelled at the top of her lungs: "Sanctuary!" and ran on into the section of the church where people pray to themselves. Ato closed the door behind them and followed her.  
  
She sighed dreamingly when she stopped at the pulpit and gazed up at the large stained glass window. He looked at her in surprise as she spread out her arms and let the glass' color flood her skin from the little moonlight that was left in the sky. The colors of tan, blue, red, green, and brown swept across her face as she smiles at the night sky, eyes shut. She softly sings to herself: "Ade Ade ya mostada. Ade Ade ya mosta. Udia nodose vada Adiemus. Uda vada twoa vada, Uda vada twoa vada. Uda Ade twoa vadie Adiemus." She continues to sing.  
  
Ato now understood the song behind Inferno's voice. He looked up at the stained glass mural and saw these: A picture of Calvary, the Nativity scene, and a crown of thorns. But above all, a picture of Jesus Christ; son and Lamb of God.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twentieth  
  
Gypsies weren't witches, demons, or seductresses of evil; they were Christians. Protestants or Catholics, Ato did not know, and it didn't matter at the moment. If he could get the word through to the multiplicity, all gypsies would be free and clear from all this torture and accusing. He smiles at her but soon hears footsteps on the stone.  
  
Inferno puts down her arms and opens her eyes and just stares at the wall in front of her. Ato was scared for he knew what was about to happen. He just didn't know how to react to it. Should he protect her? Or should he just trust her in doing her own thing? He decides to go with the second one and mimicked her actions.  
  
You could hear the sound of an arrow slice through the air. Ato was as tense as could be, but his gypsy friend looked loose but serious. The sound was so painful to Ato's ears; he just wanted to cover them for what was about to come next. He didn't want to hear Inferno's groans of pain from the arrow being buried deep in her back. The feather from the tail of the arrow whistled through the firmament, Ato closed his eyes and he soon heard the heartrending noise stop. He didn't want to look over to his right once he opened his eyes, for he knew he'd see a young woman's body lying on the cold stone.  
  
Odd enough, his heart leapt for joy when he glanced over to his side. Inferno was still standing. In her small, dirty hand she clutched the arrow that was unleashed to bring her down. Ato thanked God at the moment for the bad aim that his fellow lawmen had and for the quick reflexes that this girl held.  
  
Inferno twitched her fingers and the arrow broke in half. She let it fall to the ground and absorbed the sweet silence that was given off from her rivals. She turned to face them, still standing straight as a board. She just looked at them blankly for a minute, and then winked. She took the moment of shock that the police were experiencing to make her get-away. She ran into the left corridor with Ato behind her. She ran up the many flights of stairs until she came to the floor right below the roof.  
  
The two both knew that the police force where climbing the flights as they ran the floor. The co-workers of Ato's soon passed him. He was loosing his speed from running practically all night. "No," he said to himself as he saw them load their quivers with a dart. He ran with all his might as the arrow was let free, he ran even faster when he heard the shout of agony from Inferno. Ato them realized how stupid lawmen could be. They stopped right where they were and celebrated. "We got her!" they where saying.  
  
Ato laughed slightly and ran past the group and saw Inferno lying on the stone floor, face down. His mouth hung open in shock and sadness. The arrow had done its job and finally struck.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-First  
  
Ato ran over to her side and examined her wound. Again He thanked God for the bad aim that the police had. The arrow had struck short of her back. It was now imbedded in the back of her right calf. She obviously couldn't run anymore. With one leg unusable, she'd have to hop away if she wanted to do it herself. Ato groaned angrily and picked her up.  
  
"What are you doing?" Inferno asked as she slipped into place between his arms.  
  
"Getting you out of here." He replied and started to run.  
  
The lawmen quickly turned around to see their 'soon to be' ex-officer turn the corner at high speed with their victim held tightly in his arms.  
  
She rested her head against his warm chest. "All I can say right now is thank you."  
  
He smiles. "You are very welcome. But I should be thanking you."  
  
"Why?" she said weakly.  
  
"You kind of gave me a life. I've never had so much excitement and danger all in one week." He began. "Sometimes I ask myself why is life worth living if you don't have adventure. I ask myself that more often ever since I met you, Inferno. Your life is full of everything that feeds the soul. You look at everything with such vigor and fearlessness. You never get scared even though your life is in mortal danger. You live a wonderful life, Inferno. You…"  
  
"Live in danger and laugh in its face." She finished.  
  
"Yeah." He laughs.  
  
She laughs but weakly. The sides of her mouth twinge and curl into a small smile. She couldn't help herself. 'Do I really live that great of a life?' she asked herself. She kind of rubs her head against his chest; it was comforting.  
  
He runs into the storage room and closes the door with his foot and locks it. He sets her down on the ground----back up against the wall. He lifts up her dress a little and turns her leg over and looks at the arrow. He snaps the stick in half and bits his lip as he wiggles the pointed side out of her calf. She winces at the pain but doesn't wine at all; still it bleeds. He undoes his shirt and rips off the bottom layer. He wraps it tightly around her small and skinny leg. "There, that should hold it for a while."  
  
"Thank you." She says.  
  
"Don't mention it." He replies. He sits next to her and stares at the floor. He has to say it. He knows he has to, otherwise when would he get another chance? His breathing quickens, and then he spills it. He looks at her. "I've never felt love like this before."  
  
She turns her head to face him, her lips tight and eyes wide. "Are you crazy, Man?" He doesn't reply—He just looks at her with love filled eyes.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Second  
  
"Are you crazy, Man?" she repeats. "I'm a gypsy!"  
  
"Yes, yes, I know." He replies. He places his hand on her cheek. "You are gypsy, but so much more. For you are also, Inferno."  
  
She opens her mouth but her tongue seemed to be tied. She looked into his hazelnut eyes and all she saw was the reflection of a scared little girl. She saw a fish out of water; she saw a game of cat and mouse. She felt like a small insect caught in the giant web of a black widow. She thought that the worst thing was that she wanted this to happen. She wanted him to love her, and her to love him back. She wanted this relationship to go forth and not just stop in the middle. Though she was happy at heart, she still felt like a wildebeest being stalked by a hungry lioness. She knew she had gotten caught in her own set trap, a trap to kill.  
  
"You are much, much more then a gypsy. For you are your own person, Inferno." He says again. This time she couldn't pull back.  
  
Their first kiss was like none other. Inferno felt the throbbing pain of her wound on top of his sweet lips. Odd, Ato was thinking of how much better this was then he'd thought it'd be. He thought of Carrie, still odd, and how dull her kiss would be compared to this girl's. Neither of them could figure out why each other's lips tasted like the sweetest honey.  
  
He pulled away and looked into her deep aqua eyes. His jaw moved up and down as he looked from side to side. "Uh, I'm, uh…Sorry." He says and was going to continue.  
  
Inferno placed a finger to his lips and looked up at him. "Shh." She hushed. "Don't be."  
  
He starred at her, confused. They just were silent for a minute or two, looking at each other in a daze. Inferno then lifted her head up and kissed him again. Both of them now believed the saying that said: "Second time is a charm." He placed his hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer. She ran her fingers through his hair.  
  
Next stop heaven. This time, they both gave in to the sweet mercy of passion.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Third  
  
What was still left of the moonlight shown through the stained glass window of the small attic. The stonewalls and floors of the room where painted with colors of blue and purple, green and ruby.  
  
Inferno's kerchief hung askew as she felt the weight of a man's head lying on her chest. Her finger played with his bangs. She kissed two of her fingers then placed them on his forehead. He stirred in his sleep. She smiles and goes back to sleep on the cold stone ground.  
  
Ato awakens and feels the weight of a tiny hand upon his head. He looks upward and sees Inferno's head resting on the floor, asleep. He smiles to himself and lifts his head off of her chest and laid down next to her. He kissed her cheek and whispered: "I love you."  
  
She readjusts her position of rest then calms after she licks her lips. He looks down at her wound. A patch of red blood could be seen beneath the white cloth that was once the bottom of his shirt. He says to himself that he'll change it in the morning and soon goes back to sleep next to his love.  
  
Inferno walks up the steps tightly holding Ato's hand. They are headed for the roof square. She shyly steps out into the morning light, slightly smiling. He leads her over to the edge and they both look out over the small city.  
  
The sun is just rising which casts a mix of red, orange, and yellow glow on the streets below. The colors flood the alleys and lanes.  
  
"It's beautiful." Inferno says.  
  
"Yeah it is." Ato replied. He then turned her to face him and he took her hands in his. "We must press for a quick engagement."  
  
"What?" Inferno said kind of confused. "What about your fiancé?"  
  
"Forget about Carrie. I don't love her. I love you."  
  
"Ato," she asks.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Do you love me only because I am a gypsy, making me completely different from any other girl?" She finishes.  
  
"No, no, no! It's not like that at all! I love you for your heart, your soul, and your mind. I love you for who you are and how you act, not because of the name the stupid government gave you. I don't love you for the shape of your body or if you're rich or poor. I love you, Inferno, because you are Inferno." He answers.  
  
She smiles. "Ato,"  
  
"Please," he says. He knows that this name-calling has gone on long enough. He couldn't stand to hear the name 'Ato' any longer, even though her voice makes it sound dulcet. He had to give her his real name. "Please," he repeats. "Call me…" he starts.  
  
"Yes? Call you what?" she asks, kind of butting in.  
  
"Call me Ash." He replies.  
  
She sighs lovingly. "Ash."  
  
It felt so good to hear her say his real name. That stupid nickname that Thomas gave him was getting too annoying for him. They lean forward to kiss, but Inferno stops short with a gagging sound. She clutches her hands in fists at her chest as she sinks to the ground.  
  
"What?" Ash says in a confused daze. He looked down at her to see an arrow buried deep in her side, blood pouring out every time she took a breath.  
  
"Yes! We've got her!" came a shout from the streets below. Ash looked over the edge of the roof to see the officers dancing. The one that was dancing with the quiver was Thomas. He…he killed her?  
  
"Thomas how could you!?" Ash yelled through tears down at him.  
  
"Huh?" Tom said as he looked up at the roof. "It's Ato."  
  
"Ash, you buffoon! Ash is my name. ASH!" he screams and leans down to tend to Inferno. His fingers tremble as he breaks the arrow in half again and starts to pry the arrowhead out of her side.  
  
"It's no use, Ash. I've reached my leave." Inferno says faintly.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Fourth  
  
"It's no use, Ash." She repeats.  
  
"You'll be ok," He stutters, not wanting to admit the truth to himself. "We'll just get a doctor to fix you up and you'll be fine in no time at all."  
  
"What doctor would work on a gypsy, Ash? A doctor in this town would rather see a gypsy die on the streets then even tend to a patient of his own religion." She gasps.  
  
"But you aren't of a different religion! I know you aren't. You're a Christian, Inferno! A Christian, and so is every other gypsy, friend and family! I'll get someone to help you, I promise." He practically screams.  
  
A tear runs from her eye, "Let me die." She says.  
  
"What?" Ash asked.  
  
"No one will help me. A promise that big can't come true."  
  
"Yes it can!" Ash yells. "I rather die myself then see you perish. I wish I was the one with the arrow in me."  
  
"Don't say that." She cries.  
  
"I just did." He answers and finally gets the arrow out of her side as she groans in pain. He throws the souvenir over the side of the cathedral roof. It lands in front on Thomas, a bloody arrow tip.  
  
Ash rips another layer of his shirt off the bottom and wraps it around her waist. He was thankful that his mother always made his shirts too big.  
  
"Here," Inferno said pulling off her kerchief and handing it to him. "Use this, I don't want to wreck a perfectly good shirt."  
  
He smiles a little and wraps her kerchief around her middle and then picks her up. "I'll get you out of this." He runs over to the steps from which they came up and ran down. He went down all the flights that they had ran up the night before. She bounced slightly in his arms as he ran out of the door and paused to get his breath. Inferno's breath comes uneasier as the time passes; she gags. He knew that she's bleed to death if he didn't get her healed soon.  
  
He whispers. "I didn't even know your name."  
  
She reaches up and touches his shoulder to get his attention. He looked down when she lowered her hand. She opens her mouth and only gets out an, "E" sound. Then her eyes slowly close and her head falls against his chest.  
  
Tears run down Ash's cheeks. "No." But wait, he feels a warm breeze coming through the strains of his shirt and onto his chest. She still breaths, barely, but that means that she has a chance.  
  
He starts to run through the streets of the small French town. The glorious view that they had on the roof didn't look the same from down here. The beautiful red and orange colors that swept through the lanes looked more like a river of blood. The shades of the peoples' houses looked like silk robes from atop the cathedral, now they looked like dead rags. He had to find someone that could help Inferno live on. He couldn't stand it if he didn't.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Fifth  
  
Ash runs down the sides streets with the dying Inferno held tightly in his arms. A fellow citizen opened her window to empty out her washbasin and notices him run by. She scowls and spits in his face. She obviously thought that he was a gypsy like the one he was carrying.  
  
He grows angry and holds onto Inferno with one arm as he takes out his police badge out of his pocket. He furrows his brow and grits his teeth as he shows the shiny identification emblem to her. She gasps and quickly slams her window shut. Ash then picks her all the way up again and starts to run. He held one of her hands to make sure it was still warm. In spite of everything he continues to run.  
  
He stops at a local doctor's office and peers into the window. He then remembers Inferno's words of how a doctor in this town would rather see a gypsy die for entertainment then help it. He racks his brain for answers to unsolved problems. He then gets an idea and turns to head south.  
  
He inhales deeply as he grows tired again from running. This time he had a full-grown woman to carry, which made it a little worse. He sees what he has been looking for on the horizon and runs faster out of determination.  
  
Tents of varied color arrive before him as he enters the gypsy camp. Closes-lines are hanging empty in the small lots and you see peoples' feet hanging out of the flaps they call doors. Children cry and dogs bark, but still no body stirs in the encampment at this early hour.  
  
Ash's steps slow down as he pants and pants. He falls to his knees, far away from his goal. He never realized how big this camp really was. He should have gone east then headed south, then he would be where he wanted to go a lot sooner. He sets Inferno's body on the ground and examines her two wounds. The one on her side bleeds terribly. He notices that it had bled through and now stained his white shirt. He starts to cry and places a hand on her chest. Her heart still beats, thank God.  
  
His eyes widen as a large shadow blankets him and his love. Being in less light made Inferno's wound look less painful. He slowly lifts his head from her body to see a man standing before them. As this stranger swallows the Adams apple slowly moves up and down his neck. Ash's eyes lead him to the face. It was Nathaniel.  
  
Ash picks up Inferno and looks him square in the eye. Tears continue to come down. He sees suspicion in Nathaniel's eyes. He probably thinks that he did this to his cousin. His stern face certifies it.  
  
Ash still stares at him. "Please," he says. "Help."  
  
Nathaniel says nothing in return. He just looks at him and then down at his bloodstained shirt. Finally his eyes fall on his cousin, Inferno. His stern and straight face turns into a frown and sadness covers his face. He then looks up at Ash. "Come with me." He simply says and turns around and walks away. Ash follows.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Sixth  
  
The duo walks slowly through the gypsy lane. Ash looks from side to side at the many tents that lined the sides. Nathaniel stares straight ahead, not saying a word. His stiff back and limber arms were so serious; it was somewhat scary to be walking behind him. The sun rose slowly in the west sky. Their shadows stretched out at their sides.  
  
Nathaniel stops at a green tent almost at the end of the small avenue. He lifts up the flap and nods his head motioning for Ash to go inside. Inside were two cots and a glass jar filled with gold, silver, and bronze coins. Near the back of the small room lying on the floor was a brush and a small mirror. Nathaniel nods his head to the smaller cot in the corner and Ash goes over to it and sets Inferno on it.  
  
"I think it would be best if you leave for now." Nathaniel almost whispered. "Wait outside and I'll come get you when the time is right."  
  
Ash bows his head and murmurs a "Thank you" and then leaves the small house. He walked back and forth down the small street with a sad face. He goes down a part that Nathaniel hadn't led him down and finds a small pond that was obviously man-made. He reaches in his pocket and brings out his badge. He looks it over and rubs off the smudges. He sighs and then throws it into the small lake. The plunk of it in the water was quite loud in the quiet morning. Ash watches the ripples from the splash grow and grow and soon reach shore. He stands there until they fade, and then he turns around and walks back to the tent.  
  
Hours pass and no sign of Nathaniel or Inferno. He paces for many a minute, thinking of all that has happened this one glorious week. He remembers the first time he saw her, how terrified she was. The second run- in-to when they went to the fair, how fun. When she tried to teach him how to dance her style, and what got her in trouble with the time he dared her to do it again. The waltz they performed in that hole-in-the-wall building, he smiles at the thought. And then there was the time that they ran, away into the fields and rested together under the star-stunned sky. The cathedral, oh the cathedral. He'll remember that moment forever. The best memory of all, their first kiss came to mind, and what came to follow. The sad memory of the arrow that pierced her delicate body now comes to this. Waiting is such a hard thing, especially when it's a life and death matter.  
  
Again, a familiar scene, a large shadow comes over Ash as he looks up to see a gigantic man. His gray hair glows in the early daybreak light. His eyes are so narrowed they look like slits in paper. This large structure walked towards him. "You." It merely said.  
  
Ash opened his mouth to say something but he was lost for words. He looked so small compared to him. He felt like this man could squash him like a tiny insect.  
  
"You did this to my little, fragile angel!" he yelled in his face. It was clear to Ash now that this man was Inferno's father. Her father looked down at him and jabbed him with his pointer finger—at the blood spot. "What is this?" he asks.  
  
"I can explain, sir." Ash said in a frantic tone.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Seventh  
  
"Ha, I doubt you can explain it." The man replies. "I know what has happened, boy. You, you did this to my daughter! She's all I had left since her sisters left town. She was the one that dragged in the money so we could buy food and clothing. Now, it's all over. She's only going to live a mere 19 years."  
  
Ash now remembered that today was Inferno's birthday. She was officially nineteen years of age. "Sir, please believe me when I say I mean your daughter no harm and that I didn't give her this injury."  
  
"Why do I have to believe you, boy?" Inferno's father asks.  
  
"I know that you are angry with me, sir, and that you have the right to not trust my word. Just to let you know, I love her, and that I wouldn't do something like that to someone I love." Ash replies.  
  
He doesn't say anything. He finally speaks. "Ha, do you think I'm falling for your trick?"  
  
"Fine, don't believe me. I want her back as much as you do, weather you think so or not."  
  
"Don't talk like that to me, boy! I have what it takes to bring you down, so you'll be in the condition that my sweet little princess is in now! I can squash you like a bug." The man says punching a fist into his opposite hand.  
  
"Uncle, uncle!" came a shout from inside the tent. Nathaniel comes running out and takes hold of the man's arm.  
  
"What is it Nathaniel? Can't you see I'm busy disposing of this devil?"  
  
"Uncle, I know you're busy." Nathaniel starts. Ash is angered slightly at that, seeing that he has no one that will stick up for him. "But, it's…"  
  
"My angel? She's all right?" The man practically shouts from joy.  
  
"She's recovering, rest is the best thing for her right now." Nathaniel replies. Ash smiles broadly. 'Oh happy day!' he shouts inside his head.  
  
"Nathaniel, may I please go see her?" Ash asks.  
  
"Don't let him! He's the one who did this to her!" Her father protests.  
  
"Uncle, that's the next thing I was going to say. Before she went to sleep, she requested to see him." Nathaniel replied.  
  
"Thank you! Thank you so much." Ash sings as he enters the tent. He cries tears of joy as he approaches the cot on which she lay. A large white bandage covers her from under her arms down to her waist. A white casamina shirt covers her legs and her right calf is also stitched up with bandages. He kneels beside her and runs his hand down the side of her face. She slowly opens her eyes and smiles when she sees Ash's face.  
  
"Oh," he sighs. "You're O.K. Oh, I'm just so happy. I can't explain it any other way."  
  
"I'm happy too." Inferno says weakly, she still had to rest. "You brought me here, Ash. Again you save me; I owe you so much."  
  
  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Eighth  
  
"No, it is I who owe you." Ash replies.  
  
She laughs. "Lets not start this conversation again."  
  
He laughs too. "Right."  
  
"There is just one thing I want to say right now." Inferno said.  
  
"And what is that?" Ash asks.  
  
She slowly tries to sit up and finally props herself up on her elbows. Her teeth were gritted as she lifted herself, her eyes full of concentration.  
  
"No, don't waste your strength, you need to rest!" Ash protested.  
  
She doesn't listen but continues to sit up until she is eye level with him. "I do." She says and leans over and kisses him.  
  
Nathaniel peeks into the tent because he thought that their little meeting was taking quite a long time. When he sees them kissing, the first thing he feels is rage. He slowly gains a blank face and then eventually smiles. He takes his head out of the flaps and looks at his uncle.  
  
"So, she's O.K?" he asks.  
  
Nathaniel nods as he smiles. "She'll be just fine."  
  
About ten minutes later Inferno limps slightly out of the tent with Ash holding her hand. "Daddy." She whispers happily and runs over to him and gives him a hug. "Oh, Daddy."  
  
"My little angel, you're all right! You're all right." He cries. She brakes away from the embrace turns to see her cousin.  
  
She runs over to him and hugs him also, then gives him a kiss on the cheek. "You little…" she says as she sways in the hug.  
  
"No prob." He replies.  
  
"Thank you so much."  
  
"Cuz, I said it was no problem." Nathaniel repeats.  
  
"So, Misty, how do you feel?" Her father asks.  
  
"Misty?" Ash says quietly to himself, and then he grins. "Misty."  
  
"I'm doing perfect Daddy. In fact, I feel I could do anything!" Misty says joyously and takes a running leap and twists in the air only to land on her feet and clutch her side wincing in pain.  
  
"Inferno!" Her father and Nathaniel cry at the same time in concern.  
  
She laughs a reply and twirls in space a few times before running over to Ash and hugging him also.  
  
"Misty." He whispers in her ear. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too, Ash." She whispers back. "I couldn't be happier. We both have finally found love."  
  
"A perfect love." Ash replies.  
  
The group giggles and dances the morning away as the sun starts to fully rise. Nathaniel brings out his guitar and Misty dances like her old self, like she was never injured or hurt. Her father smiled and actually seemed to accept Ash. Everything was working out in this love of theirs. Everything was ideal.  
  
Falling from the Tree of Hatred  
  
Twenty-Ninth  
  
"Badda duma sasa la. Badda duma paka la. Badda duma lala la. Badda duma wamba la. Badda duma lay, badda duma lay. Cabba suma duma la ba." Sang the three girls after the vows were given and the 'I do's' were exchanged. The reception was about to begin as the guests headed over to dance.  
  
The three girls that were singing took a short break when the guitar player had a solo.  
  
"I never thought I'd see the day." One says.  
  
"What day?" asks another.  
  
"That our little sister would actually get married, especially with that gid-up she's trying to pass." Replies the first.  
  
"You can say that again, Daisy." Says the third.  
  
"I think I will, Violet." Daisy laughs.  
  
"Please, don't waste your time. Misty finally found her man, we should be happy for her." The second one counters.  
  
"I guess you're right, Lily. And the most shocking part about the marriage is that her husband works for the law! So I was, like, oh my gosh!" Daisy says.  
  
"I heard he quit his job." Violet points out.  
  
"Yeah, I mean, why would he stay in the police service if he is married to one of the people they are after?" Lily replies.  
  
"But think about the other thing." Violet said.  
  
"And what's that, sis?" Daisy asks.  
  
"How much better our husbands are!" Violet giggles.  
  
"Yeah!" the other two sing and continue to dance along with the music that was being played.  
  
Ash and Misty walk down to the dance square and look at all the gypsies having a good time. Four boys and two girls come running up to Misty screaming: "Auntie" and "Aunt Misty".  
  
Misty smiles and picks a few of them up and hugging them. "It's so good to see you guys again." They were obviously the children on Daisy, Lily and Violet. "Tell you what, why don't you go get your Daddy and I'll meet up with you later for a dance, okay?"  
  
"Sure!" they say and run back to the dance floor.  
  
Misty looks up at Ash. "I'm sorry none of your family is here. It's your big day and your mother isn't even here to witness it."  
  
"I'm actually quite happy that my mother isn't here." Ash replies.  
  
"Let me guess: Carrie." Misty says.  
  
"Yes, that's it. But I rather think of the good things right now, like having you as a wife." He hugs her. "I have an idea, how about we build a nice cottage out in the fields you like so much. We can settle down and have a small farm for food, maybe a garden for some beautiful flowers."  
  
"That sounds wonderful." Misty replies and they kiss and go down to dance. They start to and Ash was still having the same problems as before but he didn't seem bothered by it.  
  
"Wait, I got another idea." He laughs and takes off his shoes and starts over again.  
  
"Yes!" Misty cries. "Now you're getting it!" as he copied her footwork.  
  
They laugh and dance the afternoon away. This fairy tale that they never thought would come true is now finishing. They are happy together and have what looks like to be a happy future ahead of them. They build a house out in the fields and have a small farm and garden just like they planned.  
  
Until it was time to call upon the midwife. 


End file.
